Cowboy, Cross My Heart is a riveting story of love, rodeos, rodeo queens, and hope. I really liked the chemistry between Naomi and Brice. It is sizzling, but then who would not fall for a cute, sexy cowboy. This book is full of suspense that will have you trying to figure out what is going on at the rodeo and what is going to happen next to Naomi's best friend, Whitney Nolan. I really enjoyed the suspense. This author is new to me but not any more. I hope there are more stories in this series. I received an advanced copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

I love this author’s books especially cowboy books!! The second book in the Heart of Texas series and can be read as a stand-alone but I would recommend reading the first book. Naomi is back from the rodeo circuit in her hometown to photograph her best friend and current rodeo queen. It comes as a shock to her that she is falling for someone especially a cowboy in the rodeo. Brice and his brother were determined to make a name for themselves and they succeeded. Brice is anti-relationship and is so surprised when a laugh catches his attention and he knows he has to make that person who laughed his. A string of unfortunate events surround the couple. Brice needs to solve this because Naomi is determined to return to Washington DC. Will Brice be able to solve the mystery? Well Naomi really return to Washington DC?

Cowboy, Cross My Heart is a book that kept my rapt attention. I read it in two nights and would have read it straight through if I had had the opportunity. Ms. Grant did an excellent job with the characters, the plot and the book just flowed very nicely.
The mystery and the romance were equally important to the story with hunky cowboys whose protective nature and sweet rear ends in denim added to the overall appeal of the characters (yum!). The strength of the female characters balanced things out nicely, even if they did need those big strong men to help keep them safe.

Cowboy, Cross My Heart by Donna Grant is the second book in the contemporary romance Heart of Texas series, and picks up twelve years after book one, The Christmas Cowboy Hero. Abby Harper’s brothers are all grown up now and starting to make serious life choices.

I loved That Ms Grant let us into the world of these amazing young men and showed the results of Harper’s hard work in raising them right. Brice is sexy as all get out; but his sweet southern charm, protectiveness and overall respect for women is what really sets him apart. The story has a great plot, and the chemistry between Brice and Naomi is undeniable.

Cowboy, Cross My Heart is another fabulous read by Ms Grant, and a wonderful edition to this addictive series. I can’t wait for book three!

Caleb and Brice are the brothers of Abby East, who we met in the first book in this series. They are now grown adults and prize rodeo ropers.

Brice and Naomi are an engaging couple. There is a strong story with a very current topic as its basis. I loved that Naomi would do anything for her friend, even when she didn't really want to bring what she had been through to light, for fear of the publicity. Brice is a strong man who can show his softer underneath when he has too. Seeing the stress and anxiety Naomi suffers when her friend is attacked, really kicks his protective streak into overdrive.

Naomi & Whitney may be life long friends with nothing much in common but they still love each other and I love how easy their friendship was.

I loved revisiting with Abby and Clayton now that the first bloom of their romance has passed, still finding them as much in love as ever. Jace was a total hoot and really lightened the mood, when some of the darker storyline threatened to suck me in too much.

Another serial book that can be read as stand alone.
For those who read the previous book, The Christmas Cowboy, then met Brice Harper, then a boy who had messed with the wrong people because he wanted to help his older sister responsible for him and his brother Caleb; she worked too hard since their mother abandoned them.
Brice got a new chance thanks to the help of Clayton (now Abby's husband) and his family.

Brice was taking part in a rodeo when he saw two girls being attacked. His sense of gentleman makes him go to help them, and that brings him closer to Naomi.

Naomi was back in town because of her friend, Whitney, the Rodeo Queen. But Whitney looked very different from the person Naomi knew, and after the attack, distrust began that Whitney had a secret.

Naomi decides to find out what was happening, and has the help of Brice, who is attracted more and more to her.
As the two investigate, the romance between them grows.

It's cool to see the interaction of Brice family, the union they maintain, and Naomi ends up being part of the tribe.

PS: What a book cover!!!WOW!!!
4 stars

What a rollickin' good time! In true Donna Grant style she gives it all to us. A thrilling mystery that keeps you in suspense until the very end when the last bad guy is revealed, a fabulous couple that's embroiled in the mystery while finding their way to love, a sexy rodeo backdrop and a relevant social issue as a storyline. The Easts and the Harpers are a super family fighting to keep everyone safe by using their military expertise and training. A cowboy and a Marine! Our hero, Brice, can call me darlin' anytime. He charms Naomi with his laser focus and protective nature. Not to mention those sexy eyes! They sizzle as a couple and there's no doubt where they will end up...doing the two step between the sheets! Naomi has a protective streak too as she help her best friend through a troublesome time and heartache. This isn't all romance and lightheartedness. The author tackles sensitive issues mirroring the Me 2 movement and the lasting effects of parental abandonment. But along with those there is a wonderful slow-build romance that will curl your toes in your boots. I was a little disappointed that the bad guy and his sidekick were just kinda hoo-hum and not real players. All in all this is a marvelous story with terrific characters that will keep you engaged until the last word. I can't wait for the other stories about these sexy fellas. Giddiup, cowboy! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC thanks to NetGalley.

5 stars for a great story. When you're used to Donna Grant writing about dragon kings, this is a great turn. I loved the character development, plot line and realistic suspense. Nothing happens overnight, and between a love story and a evil plot, the reader is kept on their toes. The added bonus? Even this is the second book in the Heart of Texas series, you aren't lost if you read it as a stand alone. Highly recommend!

0.5 - "Men in positions of power." Star.

DNF @ 45%

I always try to keep my reviews respectful when criticizing an author, and I highly respect Donna Grant, but I am struggling here, I just don’t understand how any author can feel it’s okay about to take a highly publicized sex, harassment and abuse scandal that has come to light only recently after being covered up for years, involving a well known figure in the entertainment industry, and use it as the basis for a plot bunny, to use around the one of the weakest romantic coming togethers of a couple I have read in a long time.

"There have to be others who know what’s going on. No one said anything."

By the time I stopped Bryce and Naomi have know each other approximately 48 hours, and have probably spent a grand total of about 3-4 hours together, mainly in the company of others in that time. Their attraction secondary to what I saw as the main story being told around suspicious goings in with the Rodeo queens, the pageants they take part in and the chaperones who are meant to protect them, keep them out of trouble and away from mischief. Whitney; Naomi’s best friend is one such Rodeo darling and has apparently spent the last four years being assaulted, harassed and abused, and has done nothing about it because it’s apparently the norm, a lot of the other Pageant contestants suffer the same thing, and it’s worth it for all of the opportunities a Rodeo Queen is afforded when they win big.

GIF.

To add to the mix we also get the POV of one of the Men in power while he has a meeting with five or six of his cronies, he gives a nice breakdown on what each of his friends like to do with the women whether by force, coercion or any other means necessary, and then muses that he isn’t too sure what his own proclivity quite is yet, all the while his wife and children are in the next room…

"I don’t regret anything we’ve done… I just don’t want it all to fall apart either. We’ve got a good thing here…"

That’s me out I’m afraid. I could go on, but I just want to forget what I have read. As always this is just my opinion, I am going to draw a line under it, take a shower to wash off the dirt, and go find something with bunnies, ponies and rainbows in it to hopefully wash my mind clean as well.

So overall I did like this book. This book takes place 12 years after The Christmas Cowboy Hero book. You don't have to read that book but I highly recommend that you do. So I love all of Donna's books but I was a little disappointed with this book. I felt the whole book was rushed. The love story, the mystery/thriller part of it all happened so fast and ended in less than a week. Now don't get me wrong I loved the story and all the characters and I can't wait for more books in this series but it seemed the whole mystery got solved too quickly and way too easily.


*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

Cowboy Cross My Heart by Donna Grant

Naomi Pierce has come home to visit after some time away and finds herself in the thick of dealing with a situation that involves her best friend Whitney who is one of those women in the rodeo beauty pageant. How does Naomi realize there is a situation? Well…it kind of leaps out of the dark one night as she walks with Whitney and is taking photos someone doesn’t want her to print. Leaping to her defense is Brice Harper, rodeo team roper and all around good guy. The two are instantly attracted to one another and with each new action taken by the bad guys the two get closer to unearthing what the issue is and who the corrupt men and women are. Lives are at stake, family steps in to help, evil men do eventually get their just desserts and the HEA for Naomi and Brice is found.

This book deals with the abuse of power, objectification of women, making life choices that impact forever and determining what is truly important in life as it also shows just how important friendship and family truly are.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Will I read more in the series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

Cowboy, Cross My Heart is the second book in the Heart of Texas series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

This book pulled me in and I couldn't put it down! It is a quick and easy read. Romance, suspense and danger are lurking around every corner!

Unfortunately a DNF for me - while the premise is right up my alley, I found I was having to suspend my disbelief a little too much to engage with the story or the characters.

Time lost all meaning. Nothing mattered but the two of them.

First things first: I very much enjoyed the first book in the series, and had looked forward to revisiting the East and Harper families again, 12 years later, in Cowboy, Cross My Heart. In fact, bonus points to Donna Grant for structuring her story so—it meant new readers could read standalone, but for a returning reader like myself, it was incredibly rewarding to see Clayton and Abby after more than a decade of marriage. Proof that their HEA was most definitely happy.

As for the rest of the book... it was a tense and suspenseful mystery, and one which kept me riveted to the pages. I loved the inclusion of Brice and Caleb’s friends—I would love to read books for both Jace and Cooper—and also really connected with the romance between Brice and Naomi. Yes, it was instalove, but mostly it was just really sweet and cute to see them recognizing and acknowledging their feelings. Not to mention, not letting themselves be caught up by the past... much.

I was, however, a wee bit disappointed by the ending. Not the way it actually ended, mind you, rather, the pacing of it. It didn’t have quite the impact I hoped (and, frankly, expected) after so much build-up, and ultimately, the rushed feeling of it upset my overall opinion of the book. On the one hand, it’s a well-written story with likable characters and a thrilling and heartbreaking plot; on the other, it took the final turn too hard and came off the rails a little.

Having said that, this book gave me several incredibly enjoyable hours, and firmly entrenched me with this family and their friends. I will most definitely be back for more. I think, knowing what I know now, that if I’d read this with a little less urgency with regardless the “baddies” and a little more focus on just the characters overcoming and finding happiness, I’d have loved it. Instead, I really liked it. Cross my heart.

“I don’t think I can return to my life before. Not after being in your arms.”

~ 3.5 STARS ~

I loved the cover of this book so I grabbed it without reading on what it was about. I was not disappointed at all. I found the book completely hard too put down it was so good. From the beginning to the end it had you wondering each page was going to happen next for sure totally a on the edge of your seat and a real page turner. I really enjoyed Abby and how protective she was over her family, and its not just blood but those who you make family. I loved Jase and Cooper and how big of a role they played in this family as well. This book does have strong language and adult situations, however this book was so worth the read and did not disappoint at all. I can't wait to read more about this wonderful family. I did not read this first one and can't wait to grab it and read about Clayton and Abby's story. I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley. I was under no obligation to post a review and have given my honest opinion

A very enjoyable, easy, light read that has intriguing characters, a suspense filled plot, and a nice romance. I think I would have enjoyed a slow build romance between Brice and Naomi rather than the insta-love version in the story but the author made it believable so it works. When Naomi gets caught up in a dangerous situation without even knowing it, it's Brice that steps up determined to keep her safe and get to the bottom of the threat. Now the action really kicks up.

I definitely recommend this one.

This is the second book in this series and a lot has happened from the first book. The two boys Brice and Caleb have both done tours in the military and are now doing team roping in the rodeo. Their sister Abby married Clayton and have two children with another on the way. Now that you’re caught up, Naomi Pierce has returned home, she has been living in D.C. for college and stayed after she graduated. Seeing her friend Whitney being the rodeo queen has brought back memories of when she was a senior in high school and the third friend of theirs was killed in a car accident. She begins to take pictures when she notices a cowboy getting ready to enter the completion ring but they have made eye contact. That cowboy is Brice Harper and they would meet again after the rodeo when she is fighting with someone who is trying to take her camera. Thinking that it is only a onetime thing. The next day at the rodeo she is nearly killed and Brice is stomped on. Now they have decided to get to the bottom of what is happening but Whitney won’t say. When she is nearly killed you realize that it is much larger. While all of this is going on Naomi and Brice are figuring out what is going on with them and when everything is over Brice must do something because she may be going back to D.C. see what happens in this good story, with good characters also.

The Heart of Texas series continues...

After a 12 year gap, we find the Easts and Harpers have grown, Abby and Clayton have married and had children and Brice and Caleb grown up. Both Harper boys have become men, served their country and made names for themselves in the rodeo circuit.

Brice wants to leave the East ranch, taking all he’s learn from his mentor and brother-in-law, Clayton, to strike out on his own. His best friend and brother Caleb feels abandoned when Brice tells him he’s bought a ranch causing tension between the brothers from the start of the book.

That sets Brice up to being alone when he sees a beautiful photographer, Naomi and her best friend (a rodeo queen), Whitney attacked. Brice feels compelled to help the two women and especially after hearing the secret Whitney has been carrying alone since her BFF left Texas years ago.

After Whitney and Brice’s best friend Cooper are put in the hospital after an attack on her life in an attempt to silence her, Naomi and Brice are forced to band together to find the men responsible all while dealing with the growing mutual attraction between them.

It’s a great story, made even better by author Donna Grant’s unique voice. I love how she used secondary characters POV to weave a complex story. I truly cannot wait for more books from this world.

A wonderful read that had romance, suspense, and…cowboys!

I really liked both Brice and Naomi. They are both searching for something more in their lives and I loved watching them find that “more” with each other. Brice still is suffering from the abandonment issues from his childhood but knows it’s time to start thinking about putting down some roots of his own. Naomi left town for college and never came back…but is now questioning that decision after she returns home and starts to reconnect with her past.

A lot of the book focused on the mystery surrounding the attack on Naomi and her friend Whitney, all stemming from events at the rodeo. When Brice steps in to rescue them he also finds himself a target and pulls in the rest of his family and friends to keep them safe and figure out what is going on. The romance between Brice and Naomi simmers in the background while the mystery starts to unfold, so even though things move fast, there is a lot going on that sets the stage for the romance.

I just loved the entire East family, including the friends who may not have been blood, but were family just the same. There was no doubt surrounding the deep connections they all felt towards one another and there was never a question that they would always have each other’s backs. And of course, it didn’t hurt that there was also some serious military training to go along with the cowboy charm.

This is the second book in the series and can easily be read as a standalone. I have not read the first book and had no problem at all diving in to the this one. The pacing is fast, which is necessary based on the events unfolding, and the fast pace suits the story that is being told.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next book in the series! Definitely one to put on your TBR!

3.5 Stars
I enjoyed this book, but also struggled with it at times.
From a character standpoint, I truly liked the cast. Naomi and Brice were both entertaining and the secondary cast was excellent.
For the story - I appreciated the instant attraction between Naomi and Brice and how potential intrigue brought them together. Where I struggled; the scope on the intrigue story line just seemed too vast to believable.
Well written, this follows the Harper/East families we’ve been introduced to previously. It look me to about the halfway point to realize I had read the first book, so this is definitely a stand alone effort. Hopefully we will see Caleb’s story soon.